BALTIMORE, MD (August 8, 2013) – Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) has signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 2,714 square feet of space at Baltimore Gateway, a five-story, 100,000 square foot office building located on Koppers Street in Baltimore City. Last year, St. John Properties acquired the building, which previously served as the corporate headquarters for the Environmental Elements Corporation, and immediately implemented a comprehensive re-branding, renovation and leasing strategy.

SCDAA plans to relocate its operations from 231 East Baltimore Street in Baltimore City. Together with the signing of Bombardier Transportation, which is in the process of moving 100 employees to Baltimore Gateway, the building is now 25% leased. Matt Lenihan of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Richard Fields and Spencer Daw of NAI KLNB represented the tenant in this transaction.

Founded in 1971, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America focuses on education, advocacy and other initiatives which promote awareness and support for sickle cell programs and patients. SCDAA manages the efforts of more than 50 member affiliates and organizations around the country, and partners with medical facilities and state government agencies to pursue national health care initiatives.

“It was important to retain a presence in Baltimore City, but the challenge of securing daily parking and the difficulty in finding cost-conscience parking spaces was becoming a detriment for our employees and visitors,” explained Sonja L. Banks, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Association. “In addition, our new space represents a significant upgrade from our present location, as well as reduced leasing and operating expenses. This allows us to focus on expanding and creating new programs for our clients.”

Baltimore Gateway features an exterior of brick masonry with ribbon glass windows and expansive floor plates offering 20,000 square feet of contiguous space. The building is located with roadside visibility from Interstate 95 at the Caton Avenue exit, in close proximity to Interstate 695 and MD Route 295. With more than 180,000 vehicles passing the site on a daily basis, St. John Properties offers prominent signage opportunities on the building. An adjacent surface lot provides parking at the rate of five vehicles per 1,000 square feet of space.

St. John Properties recently completed a comprehensive $8 million renovation of the structure, including a complete modernization of the lobby and common areas, installation of energy-efficient low energy windows, three new high-speed elevators, an all-new HVAC system, and renovation of the bathrooms with ADA-compliant fixtures. Improvements also included new exterior landscaping, sprinkler systems and lighting.

“We recognized the tremendous upside available at the former Environmental Elements building, and our wholesale renovation and improvement strategy is now paying significant tremendous dividends with these multiple leasing successes,” stated Jerry Wit, Senior Vice President, Marketing for St. John Properties. “Baltimore Gateway’s outstanding roadside visibility from Interstate 95 resonates with tenant prospects, an advantage that we plan to leverage as we finalize the exterior lighting program.”

About St. John Properties

St. John Properties, Inc., founded in 1971, owns and has developed nearly 17 million square feet of R&D/flex, office, retail and warehouse space in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit sjp.mu9b0uf9-liquidwebsites.com.

For more information, contact:
Al Cunniff, Director of Marketing, St. John Properties, Inc.
410-369-1277